'Sovereign nations' waving wads of money

Unhappy with failed attempts to gain a third casino, the Agua Caliente tribe flexed its "sovereign nation" political muscle as no local government can. As reported in the Los Angeles Times, they gave the local Republican Party $450,000, which then began an advertising blitz in support of State Sen. Jim Battin and Assemblywoman Bonnie Garcia. Battin and Garcia led the tribe's efforts to construct a third casino and increase their present 2,000 slot machines to 5,000.

Unlike our local tribes who claim their political donations aren't meant to buy favorable treatment, tribal chairman Richard Milanovich was upfront about it, reportedly saying, "That's why we help this woman (Garcia) get reelected every two years."

The political contributions of our local tribes, including the $25,000 to Humboldt County Supervisor Bonnie Neely and $10,000 to District Attorney Paul Gallegos, pale in comparison to the $1.3 million in direct donations that Battin has taken from tribes with casinos. But the perspective is the same, and the local political donations are undoubtedly only opening antes.

The Hoopa tribe has sought voting membership on the HCAOG (Humboldt County Association of Governments) for years -- but not as an equal. They refuse to waive any of their unfettered ability to play their "sovereign nation card" anytime they choose.

The tribe (a member of HCAOG's technical advisory committee) maintains that they are a government, and governments don't have to be identical to be a voting member of the joint-powers authority. With the special interest legislation they obtained designating them as a public agency, they may be legally correct. But it would be like letting the fox nest with the chickens.

Any attempt to equate our city and county governments with tribal sovereign nation status is ludicrous. Counties and cities embrace all of their residences, and are restricted by the Brown Act. A tribe represents a very narrowly defined ethnic group that decides its own membership, and is allowed to play by very different rules.

The present voting members of HCAOG all have to play by the same rules and none can, to quote Supervisor Roger Rodoni, "wave money in the air to get the votes they want."

The media has referred to Rodoni as being caustic and vulgar regarding the machinations surrounding a voting membership for Hoopa. It seems that's what was necessary to get past the mantra of "it's the right thing to do" and into the public arena of debate about what's best for the entire county.

HCAOG is an important regional association that decides where state transportation monies are spent. It generally chugs along under its joint powers authority, with the give and take of equals and little public note. But the public needs to wake up to the ramification of tribes becoming voting members without waiving of their sovereign nation status.

Like the Aqua Caliente in Riverside, Hoopa has the potential, as a sovereign nation, to become Humboldt's 800-pound gorilla waving wads of money under the noses of our politicians.

Leo Sears writes a weekly Times-Standard column on issues of local interest. He can be reached at lsjb@cox.net